There are numerous features in the human body in which medical imaging techniques can be used effectively to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. Various diseases or conditions involve calcified materials, structures or deposits within the human body that are indicative of the medical condition of the patient. These can include features of the human skeleton, such as the spine, calcified deposits within the arterial system such as obstructions to blood flow in the coronary arteries, or microcrystalline deposits in breast tissue that can become cancerous. Breast cancer, for example, is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies and the second largest cause of cancer deaths in American females. Several improvements in diagnostic protocols have enhanced our ability for earlier detection of breast cancer, resulting in improvement of therapeutic outcome and an increased survival rate for breast cancer victims. Triple assessment is involved in identification of breast cancer. They are (1) clinical examination, (2) radiological assessment using mammography or ultrasound for example and, (3) pathological assessment using cytology or biopsy.
Although an impressive array of body-imaging techniques, such as x-ray imaging, x-ray computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, thermal infrared imaging (TIR), ultrasound, and radioisotope imaging are currently available to yield useful information, there are important limitations of safety, resolution, cost, and lack or limited specificity to key chemicals or structures necessary for functional body monitoring.
On the other hand, x-ray mammography, the current standard for monitoring breast cancer, has been shown to be effective in screening asymptomatic women to detect breast cancers. Abnormalities detected in mammography are classified as: Spiculated masses, Stellate lesions, Circumscribed masses, and microcalcification. Mammography is extremely useful in identifying pre-cancerous microcalcifications. Microcalcifications are found within the duct wall or lumen. Malignant microcalcifications are usually linear or branching whereas benign micro calcifications are rounded and punctuate.
This apparent positive benefit has resulted in a number of leading health care societies recommending that all women be screened using mammography on at least biennial basis. In order for mass screening to be cost effective, methods need to be developed to achieve it with high accuracy and speed. Moreover, as the microcalcifications are imbedded in dense soft tissue, the diagnosis of mammograms is subjective and solely depends on the interpretations of the radiologist of the mammogram. At times, even for qualified personnel, it is difficult to interpret screening mammograms in large numbers. So an appropriate use of imaging processing techniques to enhance the important features of mammograms improves the specificity and objectivity of clinical cancer diagnosis.